Summary
Directions is a compilation album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released in 1981 by Columbia Records.[1] It collects previously unreleased outtakes that Davis recorded between 1960 and 1970. Directions was the last of a series of compilation albums—mostly consisting of, at that time, previously unreleased music—that Columbia released to bridge Davis' recording hiatus that ended with the Man with the Horn in July 1981.[2]
| Directions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1960–70 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 94:26 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Teo Macero | |||
| Miles Davis chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music edit
Directions is a double album that features previously unreleased outtakes recorded over a 10-year period by Davis. Apart from "Song of Our Country" from the recording sessions for Sketches of Spain (1960), a 1961 recording of "'Round Midnight", and "So Near, So Far" from 1963, the album's songs are from Davis' transitional period during 1967 to 1970, when he was experimenting with a fusion of jazz and rock. They feature sidemen such as saxophonist Wayne Shorter, guitarist John McLaughlin, and keyboardists Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, and Chick Corea.[3]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [3] |
| Down Beat | [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [1] |
Reviewing in AllMusic, critic Scott Yanow believed some of the tracks "rambled on a bit too long" but the music was nonetheless "mostly quite fascinating" and "highly recommendable to collectors with an open ear toward fusion."[3]
Track listing edit
All tracks by Miles Davis except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Date recorded | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Song of Our Country" | Heitor Villa-Lobos | March 11, 1960 | 3:27 |
| 2. | "'Round Midnight" (Live) | Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams, Bernie Hanighen | April 22, 1961 | 7:44 |
| 3. | "So Near, So Far" | Tony Crombie, Bennie Green | April 16, 1963 | 5:18 |
| 4. | "Limbo" | Wayne Shorter | May 9, 1967 | 5:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Water on the Pond" | 7:04 | |
| 6. | "Fun" | 4:12 | |
| 7. | "Directions, No. 1" | Joe Zawinul | 6:51 |
| 8. | "Directions, No. 2" | Joe Zawinul | 4:51 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Ascent" | Joe Zawinul | 14:44 |
| 10. | "Duran" | 11:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Konda" | 14:10 |
| 12. | "Willie Nelson" | 10:21 |
Personnel edit
"Song of Our Country", recorded in New York, March 11, 1960. (Reissued on 1997 CD release of Sketches of Spain.)
- Miles Davis – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Gil Evans – arranger, conductor
- Johnny Coles, Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal – trumpet
- James Buffington, Tony Miranda, Joe Singer – French horn
- Frank Rehak, Dick Hixon – trombone
- Bill Barber – tuba
- Albert Block, Harold Feldman – flute
- Danny Bank – clarinet
- Jack Knitzer – bassoon
- Romeo Penque – oboe
- Janet Putnam – harp
- Paul Chambers – bass
- Jimmy Cobb – drums
- Elvin Jones – percussion
"'Round Midnight", recorded live at "The Blackhawk" in San Francisco, April 22, 1961. (Reissued on 2003 CD release of In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete)
- Miles Davis – trumpet
- Hank Mobley – tenor saxophone
- Wynton Kelly – piano
- Paul Chambers – bass
- Jimmy Cobb – drums
"So Near, So Far", recorded in Hollywood, Ca., April 16, 1963. (Reissued on the first CD of the 2004 box set Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis 1963–1964, as well as on the 2005 CD re-release of Seven Steps to Heaven.)
- Miles Davis – trumpet
- George Coleman – tenor saxophone
- Victor Feldman – piano
- Ron Carter – bass
- Frank Butler – drums
"Limbo", recorded in Hollywood, Ca., May 9, 1967. (Reissued on the 1998 CD re-release of Sorcerer, as well as on the second CD of 1998 box set release The Complete Studio Recordings of The Miles Davis Quintet 1965–1968)
- Miles Davis – trumpet
- Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
- Herbie Hancock – piano
- Buster Williams; bass
- Tony Williams – drums
"Water on the Pond", recorded in New York, December 28, 1967. (Reissued on the fourth CD of the 1998 box set release Miles Davis Quintet 1965–'68)
- Miles Davis – trumpet
- Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
- Herbie Hancock – Wurlitzer electric piano
- Joe Beck – guitar
- Ron Carter – bass
- Tony Williams – drums
"Fun", recorded in New York, January 11, 1968. (Reissued on the fourth CD of the 1998 box set release Miles Davis Quintet 1965–'68)
- Miles Davis – trumpet
- Wayne Shorter – tenor saxophone
- Herbie Hancock – Wurlitzer electric piano
- Bucky Pizzarelli – electric guitar
- Ron Carter – bass
- Tony Williams – drums
"Directions I & II" and "Ascent", recorded in New York, November 27, 1968. (All three tracks were reissued on the second CD of the 2001 box set release of The Complete In a Silent Way Sessions)
- Miles Davis – trumpet
- Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone
- Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea – electric piano
- Joe Zawinul – organ
- Dave Holland – double bass
- Jack DeJohnette – drums
"Duran", recorded in New York, March 17, 1970. (Reissued as "Duran (Take 6)" on the second CD of 2003 box set release The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions)
- Miles Davis – trumpet
- Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone
- Bennie Maupin – bass clarinet
- John McLaughlin – electric guitar
- Dave Holland – electric bass
- Billy Cobham – drums
"Konda", recorded in New York, May 21, 1970. (The unedited version of the track was issued on disc 4 of the 2003 box set release The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions.)
- Miles Davis – trumpet
- Keith Jarrett – electric piano
- John McLaughlin – electric guitar
- Airto Moreira – percussion
"Willie Nelson", recorded in New York, February 27, 1970. (Reissued on the first CD of the 2003 box set release The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions)
- Miles Davis – trumpet
- Steve Grossman – soprano saxophone
- John McLaughlin – electric guitar
- Dave Holland – electric bass
- Jack DeJohnette – drums
References edit
- ^ a b Considine et al. 2004, p. 215.
- ^ Chambers 1998, p. 288 of Pt. II.
- ^ a b c Yanow, Scott. "Directions - Miles Davis". Allmusic. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
- ^ Alkyer, Frank; Enright, Ed; Koransky, Jason, eds. (2007). The Miles Davis Reader. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 275. ISBN 142343076X.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 57. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
Bibliography edit
- Considine, J. D.; et al. (November 2, 2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Chambers, Jack (1998). Milestones: The Music and Times of Miles Davis (Pts 1 & 2, with a new introduction). Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80849-4.
External links edit
- Directions at Discogs (list of releases)
- Directions on Jazzdisco.org